Please Leave a Message
by 1004-Angel
Summary: [One-shot] A what-if scenario in which Adrien listens to the embarrassing voice message left by Marinette in the episode Copycat/Two Black Cats. Adrienette!


**Cute little one shot I thought of when I was rewatching the Copycat episode (which is one of my favorites!). A what-if scenario in which Adrien heard Marinette's embarrassing voice mail (in a slightly altered time line…) It was nagging and nagging and it wouldn't go away and I finally said "Alright! Paw-lease leave me alone!"**

 **Since the English version of the message isn't released yet, I used the subtitles from the Korean version. Credit to whichever company licensed it.**

 **And this is the result. Feedback appreciated, and happy New Year! Updates on other stories coming soon, promise!**

Please Leave a Message

Adrien Agreste opened the door to the boys' locker room, pulling the sweaty fencing mask from his face. He wiped excess droplets with the back of his gloved hand from his forehead and let out a deep breath. Fencing lessons was one of the things he hadn't fought his father on as a child… the sport truly interested him, not to mention had probably saved his butt on numerous occasions when fighting akumas.

Honestly he shouldn't have been surprised that Plagg had gotten into the stash of cheese he kept in his gym bag for emergencies. Still, the sight of the little black cat curled up on his phone screen with a bloated belly made him slightly annoyed. "You glutton."

The kwami let out a burp that smelled strongly of Camembert. "You have a message." _Hic!_

Adrien snatched his kwami by the scruff of his tiny black neck, pulling his cell phone out after him. Sometimes, the teen just didn't know how to deal with the tiny creature's gluttony, and would seriously consider putting Plagg on a diet if it didn't require so much energy to maintain Chat Noir for extended periods of time. "Move out of the way, gotta check my messages."

Plagg seemed too deep into his cheese coma to make a snarky comment, settling for just floating in midair with a dazed smile that made his whiskers twitch.

"Hm?" Adrien scrolled through his missed calls, not recognizing the number at the top of the screen. "I don't know this number."

"Forget about it," Plagg said lazily, coming to settle on his human's shoulder.

The caller had left a voice mail; he'd only missed it by a few minutes. It was probably a solicitor, or a prank call. But then, his father had ordered Natalie to make sure that Adrien's personal phone number wasn't listed in phone books, websites, or anyplace where unnecessary people would get a hold of it. He had everyone at the modeling studio… so who…?

"Hi, this is Adrien! Please leave a message."

Adrien wedged his phone between his ear and shoulder, leaning in for a drink from the water fountain.

" _Uh, hi… Adrien's voicemail…"_

He almost choked on the water. Wiping droplets from his mouth, he managed to place the familiar voice as belonging to Marinette, the girl who sat behind him. He knew for certain they hadn't exchanged phone numbers. He only had a moment to wonder how exactly she'd gotten his number before the message continued.

" _I'm Marinette… uh… I uh probably had s-something to say and called… 'cuz this is your phone… uh…"_

The corner of Adrien's mouth turned up into a smile as he listened, moving to sit down on one of the benches. Although he hadn't talked to Marinette much, mostly because she couldn't seem to form coherent sentences around him, he found her to be a bright person, and would even admit to himself that the stuttering was kind of cute. He just hoped she didn't stutter because she was afraid of him. It wouldn't be the first time.

Marinette's voice laughed nervously. _"CALLMEBACKBYE."_

Adrien yanked the receiver away from his ear with a wince as Marinette screamed into the microphone. There were a couple soft thuds like the phone she'd used was dropped, and Adrien noticed that the message wasn't even over yet. Curious, he continued to listen.

" _What? What were you expecting?"_ Marinette continued, her voice a little distant now. It didn't seem like she was actually talking to Adrien anymore. A part of him wanted to turn the message off… it was probably recorded on accident, and he shouldn't listen in on a conversation like that. He'd heard the part that was meant for him, and listening further could be considered a breach of privacy… right? He took too long to decide.

" _Hi, handsome boy! I'm Marinette. Do you want to go to the movies with me?_ _But whenever I see you my mouth foams and clamps shut. So I can't even make a phone call! Aren't I so funny!?"_

"To hear the message again, press one…"

Adrien snorted through his nose in a chuckle, pulling the phone away to stare at the screen. Marinette….

Handsome boy. She'd called him handsome boy. The thought made him chuckle. She'd said it in a tone he'd never heard from her before, and he figured that's probably what he sounded like when he flirted with Ladybug. Marinette channeling Chat Noir… he laughed.

She'd also asked him to the movies. Or at least, tried to. Adrien was still mulling that one over when the locker room door suddenly flung open behind him. The boy felt Plagg suddenly burrow under the hood of his fencing bib, the little kwami curling up in the dip of the human's neck and shoulder. Adrien turned on instinct to see who had come in, and his eyes widened to see the very girl whose message he'd just received, panting heavily like she'd just run a marathon as the door swung shut behind her. It didn't take Adrien long to deduce that she'd bolted the moment she realized she'd accidentally left the embarrassing message. How she knew that he'd be here was beyond him, though…

He and Marinette engaged in a staring contest, his eyes wide and a little confused, and hers in full on panic mode as she looked at the phone in his hand and back to his face. He could see it dawn on her as she slowly realized he'd just heard everything. Her pupils shrank and her mouth pulled back into a small wince.

The silence seemed to stretch for several minutes before Adrien finally moved. He stood properly and faced her, removing the white bib from his head and letting it fall back across his shoulders. He could feel Plagg slip into the folds of the hood. Adrien raised his phone and wiggled it in the air playfully, a teasing grin pulling across his lips. Marinette channeled Chat Noir? So can he. "So I have your number now?"

Marinette went pink, her shoulders bunching up around her ears as her fingers suddenly found the hem of her shirt suddenly very entertaining. "I- I used Alya's phone."

"Really? How'd she get my number?"

Marinette lowered her head, glancing up at him and looking all the world like a guilty puppy who'd just chewed up a shoe. "N-Nino."

Adrien sighed. "Should've guessed."

Silence again. Marinette's shyness was making it difficult to keep a solid conversation.

Adrien was about to say something when the doors opened again behind Marinette, and the rest of Adrien's fencing group were suddenly faced with the awkward confrontation. The boy at the head of the group pulled the mask from over his head, revealing the face of Jaque, a veteran at the fencing school and a few years older than Adrien himself. Jaque surveyed the situation, his dark brown eyes narrowing and a teasing smile gathered on his lips.

"Yo, check it out. Adrien's girlfriend is here to pick him up."

Marinette went crimson at the word _girlfriend_. Adrien felt a light blush creeping up his own cheeks. "It's not like that, Jaque."

"If you say so," Jaque sang, leading the rest of the group past a frozen Marinette to their respective lockers. "But the guys know what's up."

"Let's go somewhere else," Adrien suggested quietly to Marinette, who nodded slowly, her eyes fixed on her shoes like she couldn't bear to look at his face. "Wait outside for a sec while I change clothes."

It finally seemed to dawn on Marinette that she was in the _boys_ locker room, and it appeared that the rest of Adrien's fencing group had no qualms stripping in front of her. She didn't need telling twice before bolting from the room. Adrien turned to his locker and quickly sneaked Plagg out of his hood and back into the gym bag, reminding himself to berate the kwami later about the cheese. Used to quick changes thanks to his modeling gig, Adrien was in and out of clothes faster than the other boys, most of who were currently whipping each other with wet towels and laughing immaturely. Adrien rolled his eyes and grabbed the rest of his gear, pushing open the door to the main area.

Marinette had taken refuge a few feet from the door, seeming to mutter a mantra to herself, _You can do it, you can do it._ Unless he was hearing things, a high-pitched voice seemed to answer back, but it was probably just his sneakers squeaking across the polished floor.

"Hey," he said to draw her attention.

Marinette looked up, one hand quickly snapping closed the pink handbag she always carried with her. Adrien dismissed it and gestured his head, smiling politely as the girl approached. He took her gently by the elbow, leading her out of the proximity of the locker room and across the fencing hall to a bench next to the soda machines. He could practically feel the heat radiating from her as they walked, and Adrien hoped that she hadn't caught a cold.

"Sit," he said, and plopped the gym bag unceremoniously to the floor. _Plagg's gonna get me for that._ "Want a drink?"

Marinette shook her head, sitting hesitantly. Adrien got himself an energy drink and plopped down beside her, crossing one leg comfortably over his knee and unscrewing the cap. There was a silence between them, but to Adrien it didn't feel as awkward as it did in the locker room. Progress?

Finally, Marinette spoke up. "So… um… you message the heard I MEAN heard my message?"

Adrien couldn't help but smile. "Handsome boy?"

He didn't know that faces could turn that shade of red, but it was cute. She was mortified. "I-I'm sorry, I thought it h-had stopped replacing, I mean uh recording and uh…"

"Calm down," he laughed lightly, leaning back against the bench seat. "I'm not gonna claw your face off or anything."

Marinette let out a puff of air that Adrien took as a laugh. Maybe Chat Noir was the right idea. It seemed to ease the tension between them, but he knew his boundaries. He didn't want to make Marinette any more uncomfortable than she already looked.

"So… um…" Marinette looked like she was struggling to get her thoughts out, wringing her hands in her lap. Adrien cocked his head a little, fixing his bright green eyes on her face, letting his classmate have his full and undivided attention. She looked sideways and noticed him watching her, and all at once she suddenly seemed to gain a spurt of confidence.

"Willyougotothemovieswithme?"

"Whoa, I'm ready to go home!"

"No kidding, you up for ordering takeout later and playing some video games?"

"I'm down, you?"

Marinette's quiet voice was drowned out by the loud commotion of boys filing out of the locker room, voices echoing in the huge space as they paraded from the fencing hall.

"Sorry, I didn't catch that."

Marinette swallowed hard, hands curling into fists in her lap. "I was wondering… if you wanted to go to the movies with me on Saturday."

Adrien guessed as much, from listening to the voice message. But hearing it in person, the request seemed to resonate more with him. She wanted to go to the movies with him. Adrien. So did she not dislike him? She obviously wanted to have some sort of affiliation with him, but from what he'd seen, he didn't suspect his fame to have anything to do with it. Chloe had made it obvious that was what she wanted from him, but with Marinette… she was different. He couldn't figure her out. Adrien finally came to the conclusion that there were no cons to getting to know his classmate more.

He broke out into a smile, leaning forward to be more engaged. "Sounds fun!"

"I understand that you don't want to, I'm sorry for ask—" Marinette blinked, turning her face to look at him incredulously. "Wait, you want to go?"

Adrien nodded, flashing her a wink. "Yeah. I haven't been in a while, and I'd like to get to know you more."

Was that too much? She was looking at him like she couldn't believe he'd just agreed. After a moment, a smile split her own face, and Adrien was suddenly taken aback by pretty Marinette actually was: a wide smile, her dark hair falling gracefully over blue eyes… He snapped himself out it. Ladybug was his love. Marinette was a friend. Difference.

"I—I'd like to get to know you, too." She said, and he detected confidence rising in her tone, and it made her sound much more comfortable and secure. It was a good sound.

"Awesome. I suppose this means I need your number and not Alya's right?"

Five minutes later saw Marinette practically skipping out the front doors of the building, the brightest smile he'd ever seen lighting up her face. _"I DID IT!"_ she called triumphantly, taking off down the street at a full sprint. Adrien stood just outside the doors of the school, watching her run until he couldn't see her anymore.

Plagg poked his head out from within the gym bag, looking up at his human with narrowed eyes. "You're smiling."

Adrien blinked, but continued to stare at the place he'd last seen her with a happy smile. "Yep."

"Do I have to come on your date?"

"It's not a date, Plagg. We're just going to hang out. And yes, you have to come. What if an akuma attacks?"

Plagg groaned unceremoniously and mumbled something Adrien couldn't make out, but he guessed it wasn't anything nice. Adrien's smile grew wider as he finally pulled his gaze away from the street corner and began to plod down the steps toward the sidewalk, pacing slowly in the other direction. With Saturday to look forward to now, nothing could ruin his day.

"Hey, Adrien, weren't we supposed to go to that statue unveiling ceremony today? Cause it was supposed to start a couple minutes ago."

Adrien froze. "Crap."

.o0o.

 **Thanks for reading, all! I don't have plans to continue this as a two-shot, but maybe in the future and I'm running dry on plot bunnies I may come around to it again.**

 **Next chapter for my other Miraculous fanfiction** _ **Flirting with Disaster**_ **is almost finished, so expect that in the next couple of days, as well as my other stories you may be following from other fandoms, those should be released soon as well as belated Christmahanakwanzikah gifts. You can also follow me on tumblr at the-noble-idiot for Miraculous Ladybug and other fun stuff!**

 **Happy (belated) holidays and Happy New Year!**


End file.
